Death Valley Girls are from Los Angeles and describe themselves as ‘doom boogie/dystopian punk/occult glam rockers’ they recently released their new album Darkness Rains on Suicide Squeeze records. Fighting Boredom have been listening, see what we thought below.
Death Valley Girls come from a core of two people, vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Bonnie Bloomgarden and guitarist Larry Schemel , joined by a whirling group of collaborators. Bassist Alana Amram, drummer Laura Harris, and a bunch of delinquent musicians like Shannon Lay, The Kid(Laura Kelsey), and members of The Make Up, The Shivas, and Moaning. They merge together just as you’d expect a bunch of like minded musicians to, it’s loose, free and very cool. The album is clean and clear. A wide open sound that needs utterly overpowering volume for appreciation.
For most of the record the songs build up from the powerhouse drumming, God help the skins, it’s like they’re on the verge of breaking. The guitars are in the main, dirty scuzzy grungy fuzzy monsters that take you to the days of the Asheton’s and when Seattle led the world in creating proper massive riffs. But then they ease back to drone making and western soundtrack twangs, they don’t stick to one thing and the albums all the better for that. The vocals are high and female, there are at least two voices melding together at moments to make one sound.
It’s not ground breaking and it’s not new, but there’s always a space in my heart for fuzzy, nasty garage rock, add the slower measured songs and this album is well worth a listen.
